Newsletter

We’d like to think that our role in life is to leave the world a better place for our Grandchildren and our Grandchildren’s Grandchildren and enjoy life along the way.

Over 30 years we have strived to make our own piece of Paradise at Kirklands.

For the B & B we use lots of local produce:
Eggs are obtained from one mile along the road and the egg cartons are returned to be used again. If it’s not too hectic we will take Harley for a walk to collect them.

Bacon and sausages come from a local pig farm.

In May, June and July we serve strawberries from the poly tunnel and then from the walled garden (varieties Rosie, Eros, Totem and Alice).

Gill isn’t a fan of rhubarb but will prepare it occasionally.
In June we get out the jam pan to make the strawberry jam with the berries not pretty enough for breakfast.

In July, August and September we serve raspberries and occasionally blueberries and perfect small alpine strawberries from the fruit garden. The breakfast tomatoes from the greenhouse normally crop from July to October.

For September and October we have a dozen varieties of apples in the walled garden.
The breakfast marmalade is made by a friend who lives just around the corner though the oranges are Spanish. We make our own bread too.

If you are staying for dinner:
Scotland ’s vegetable year gets off to a slow start though the poly tunnel and greenhouse help enormously. Last year we grew carrots, beetroot, spring onions and lettuce in the poly tunnel; chillies, peppers and aubergines in the greenhouse. The runner beans, celery, pak choi, cabbage, onions, lettuce, fennel, parsnips courgettes and peas all did well. The potatoes were poor; the walled garden carrots were just fed to the pigs along with sweet corn and pumpkins that never ripened.

However:
We do buy beans from Kenya and blueberries form Chile at times because leeks and rhubarb don’t provide enough options!

Recycling:
We have 4 giant compost heaps to recycle everything from the garden. Peter gets carried away talking about compost! Almost every fallen leaf ends up on the two bays for leaf mould.
Streaky and Smokey, our pot bellied pigs, recycle any excess fruit, bread and vegetables.
Local authority recycling included glass, paper, plastic and clothes.

The Garden:
Our 2 acre garden provides a safe habitat for a wide selection of birds (dipper, heron, wren, robin, blackbird, bullfinch, buzzard, sparrow hawk, rook, wood pigeon, goldfinch and lots more) as well as bees, butterflies, squirrels, hedgehogs, bats and unfortunately rabbits and moles. The 20 acres of woodland is naturally re-generating and provides a habitat much as it was 10,000 years ago (one of only a handful in Fife) containing a wide variety of flora and fauna. There is a pathway through the 20 acres of woodland for the local community and guests to use.

We don’t use insecticides. We try to use only organic fertilisers plus our own compost except for the lawns. Peter obsesses about lawn stripes even more than a perfect compost heap so twice a year feeding is essential to maintain the stripes.

Local Groups
Gill is an active member of the Community Council and has frequently organised the village clean up in the spring and a bulb planting day in autumn.

Peter works with the Saline Environmental Group organising projects and building the woodland path that connects Saline and Steelend.

Linen & Heating
Though we believe in green principals it is important that Kirklands is always warm and comfortable for our guests. Scotland is beautiful but it can be wet and cold even in July.
We change towels and sheets when guests require them but we have found every 3 days is suitable for most people. We have replaced worn out electrical appliances with A- rated appliances. We are in the process of replacing bulbs with low energy light bulbs. Thermostatically controlled radiators allow our guests to control the heating in their rooms. The towel rails are run from the heating system in the winter and electrically in summer. We have a separate hot water cylinder for our bathrooms which can be turned off when we do not have guests.

Car Free
We are members of the Cyclists Welcome and Walkers Welcome Schemes run by VisitScotland, encouraging visitors to explore the area by cycle or foot and we can provide customised maps of local walks.

If you are coming to Kirklands without a car we will do our best to help but it is not always easy to get around on public transport.

We provide a comprehensive Guest Information Folder which includes information about local restaurants and attractions.